External combustion engine



Oct. 25, 1938.

R. A. JONES EXTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 21, 1934 I? (Ewes INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Oct. 25, 1938.

R. A. JONES EXTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 21, 1934 .Lfories ATTORN EYS Oct. 25, 1938.

R. A. JONES EXTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed July 21, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 1 10 W li/Ill] lNVENTOR BY myawrea.

ATTORNEYS 06%. 25, 1938. JONES EXTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed July 21, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 RayA. /072es BY W Patented Oct. 25, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE amass nx-mamr. comps-non ENGINE Bay A. Jones, Colmar, Ky. Application July 21, 1934, Serial No. 736,422

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a rotary external combustion engine and has for the primary object the provision of means for augmenting the burning fuel prior to each power stroke of the engine by a second expansion medium which with the burning fuel act togther on the power developing medium of the engine to provide an increase in volume of the propelling force on each power stroke.

Another object of this invention is the provision of compressing and power developing units connected by a power take-off shaft wherein the power developing unit has a working area greater in size or ratio than that of the compressing unit both being of the rotor type equipped with means therebetween whereby the compressed and bummg fuel may be delivered to the power developing unit from the compressing unit augmented by the second expansion medium, the latter being generated by heat obtained from the burning fuel and the operation of the engine.

With these and other objects in view this invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompany drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, illustrating a rotary external combustion engine constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is an end elevation illustrating the engine with the condenser removed.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view illustrating the compressing and power developing units and means for the development of the secondary propulsion medium.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view illustrating the compressor and taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a similar developing unit and Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the intake for the compressor and taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 3.

Figure 7 is a similar view showing the outlet manifold for the compressor and taken on the line l-l of Figure 3.

Figure 8 is a detail sectional view showing the exhaust for the power developing unit and taken on the line 8--8 of Figure 3.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of Figure 4.

Fi ure 10 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line Ill-l of Figure 4.

Figure 11 is a detail sectional view taken on the line ll-ll.of Figure 5.

Figure 12 is a detail sectional view illustratin view illustrating the power taken on the line -5 of a circulating pump for the water of the boiler and taken on the line |2-l2 of Figure 1.

Figure 13 is a detail vertical sectional view showing an exhaust control valve and taken on the line l3-l3 of Figure 14.

Figure 14 is a sectional view taken on the line ll-Il of Figure 13.

Figure 15 is a detail sectional view taken on the line l5-l5 of Figure 5.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral l indicates a main casing or housing having removable end walls 2 which are constructed to receive journals 3 for a power take-oflf shaft 4. The casing or housing I is divided by a series of partitions or walls to form chambers 5, i, I and 8. The chamber 5 is for a compressor rotor 9, the chamber 6 for a power developing rotor l0 and the chamber 1 is designed to form manifolds between the chambers 5 and 6 as well as an exhaust manifold. The manifolds will be hereinafter described in detail. A wall ll divides the chamber 1 into a compartment l2. The exterior walls of the casing or housing I are water jacketed, as shown at l3, also in communication with the chamber or boiler 8. The chamber I2 is further divided from the lower portion of the water jacket l3 by a partition l4 to form an oil or lubricant sump l5. The vertical walls of the chamber 1 are constructed to form a support for a bearing l6 cooperating with the bearings 3 in supporting the power take-off shaft 4. Said walls also are equipped with annular flanges ll forming supports for the rotors which will be hereinafter more fully described. Similar flanges [8 for the rotors are formed on wear plates l9 enga ing the 'end walls of the casing or housing I and said wear plates may be adjusted to take up wear through mediums 20. The rotors 9 and II) are secured to the power take-off shaft 4 by keys H. The shaft 4 is drilled to provide an oil or lubricant conduit 2| communicative with the journals and also with the pipe 22 in the chamber l2 leading to the lubricant sump IS. The circulation of the lubricant can be accomplished in any well'known manner.

The constructions of the rotors 9 and III are identical except that the rotor I0 is longer than the rotor 9 to provide the rotor III with an increased working area over the working area of the rotor 9. Each rotor consists of a hub 24 secured to the power take-off shaft connected to an annular inner member 25 by a web or spider 26. The annular member 25 overlies the flanges l1 and I8 and is surrounded by an outer rotatably mounted annular member 21. The annular member is rotatably supported by anti-friction bearings 28 carried by the housing or casing l and also by babbit bearings 29. The anti-friction bearings 28 are capable of adjustment for wear through mediums 30. The babbit and integrally bearing 29 is equipped with a spiral groove ii for feeding lubricant endwise of the annular member 21, the lubricant reaching the spiral grooves through ports 32 communicative with the lubricant sump IS. The lubricant alsov reaches the anti-friction bearings 29 from the spiral grooves II. The inner annular member 26 is arranged eccentric to the outer annular member 21 and the opposing faces of said annular members 26 and 21 have formed thereon spaced intermeshing teeth 33 cooperating with one another to form a series of non-communicative pockets 94 which pockets increase and decrease as to size during the rotation of the rotor as will be apparent by reference to Figures 4 and 5.

It is preferable that the wear plates 19 be held against rotation with the rotors 9 and I9, this being accomplished by ribs 35 integral with the casing or housing I fitting in sockets formed in said wear plates.

The chamber 1 connects the compressor chamber with the motor chamber 6 and is known as a transfer chamber. Fuel from a carbureter 96 is introduced to the compression rotor 9 by a port 31 so that as the pockets of the rotor 9 progress in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 4 said compartments will be fllled with fuel and as the pockets progress towards the intake end of the chamber 1 they decrease in size to compress the fuel and communicative with said end of the last-named manifold is an ignition medium 38 for igniting the fuel. panded fuel leaves the compressor and passes to the power developing rotor l9, the discharge end of the chamber 1 being indicated by A so that the expanded fuels may enter and act on the pockets rotor I9 they increase in exhaust manifold 39.

The water of the boiler which surrounds the rotor compartments or chambers and the mixing and combustion chamber 1 absorbs heat and converts the water into I of the boiler and in communication with the boiler is a steam dome 49of substantially arcuate shape communicative with both ends of the chamber 1. Check valves 4| and 42 are provided in the manifold 49 adjacent the communication of the latter with the manifold defined by the chamber 1 and said check valves work in opposite directions so that steam pressure may be admitted to the burning fuel where the latter enters the pockets of the rotor i9, the check valve 4| normally remaining seated to close the steam dome 49 to the chamber 1 where the latter communicates with the compressor rotor 9. The check valves are of the spring seated type and the manifold is' so constructed fined in which the check valves operate so as to position the springs thereof within the chamber 9 and within the water and not within the buming fuel. The steam dome 49 intermediate its end is in communication with the boiler by a port 43 and operating through the manifold 49 is a float stem 44 one end of which is disposed in the chamber 9 and the other end enters a valve casing 44'. A float 45 is carried by the stem and governs the level of the water in the boiler through the actuation of a'valve 46 in the valve casing 44. The valve 46 controls ports 41, 48 and 49. The port 41 is connected to a water pump 59 by a pipe 5| and the port 49 is connected to the boiler by a 'pipe 52 while the port 49 is conarea and empty into an al rotary type, as

steam at the upper portion or oilset that by-passes are denected to a condenser 69 which will be hereinafter described The connection between the condenser 59 and the port 49 is by way of a pipe 64 connected to an exhaust pipe 55 of the condenser and which is connected to the exhaust manifold 99 of the rotor l9. The pump 59 is connected to the sump 66 of the condenser 59 by a pipe 51, it being noted that the sump is located in the lower end of the condenser. denser is of the vertical tube type with the exhaust pipe 55 entering the condenser at the lower ends of the tubes clearly shown in Figure 12, wherein the rotor 69 is eccentrically mounted in the pump housing and carries a spring-pressed abutment 6| having a wiping contact with the walls of the pump casing. The pump 59 circulates the water by drawing the water from the condenser to the valve housing 44' where it may either pass into the boiler should the supply of water need replenishing or by-pass back to the condenser, the valve 46 and its float 45 governing the water level in the-boiler. The steam generated in the boiler passes to the steam dome 49 by way of valve 42 and augments the burning fuel where the latter enters the pockets of the rotor l9 thereby increasing the power of the engine over that derived simply from the expansion of the burning fuel. The steam pressure in the steam manifold 49 against the valve 42 has a tendency to open the said valve 42. Only heated vapors enter the manifold chamber 1 when the poppet valve 42 opens. The spent gases and steam exhaust from the rotor 19 into the condenser 59 by the exhaust pipe 55 and passes through the tubes of the condenser so that the liquid of the exhaust will return to the sump 56 while noncondensable gases" escape to the atmosphere by way of the port 62. In this arrangement the noncondensable gases are lowered in temperature to approximate atmospheric temperature so that when contacting with the atmosphere the exhaust will be substantially noiseless.

The operation of this engine can be either of the ignition type or of the Diesel type. However, when in the latter type it will require, during the initial starting of the engine, the use of the sparking medium 39 to ignite the first charge reaching 'the manifold defined by the chamber 1 after .starting the compressor in rotation.

of the engine can be accomplished by the conventional type-of starter connected to thepower take-oif shaft 4 if desired.

A-control valve 69 is provided between the exhaust pipe 55 and the exhaust manifold 39 and is manually controlled. The engine can be employed. for many purposes and when used for motor vehicle propulsion it can be caused to act as a brake medium for the motor vehicle to retard the momentum of the latter, this being accomplished by closing the valve 63 causing a back pressure to be developed on the rotor l9, the compressing rotor 9 continuing its compressing'operation as long as the power take-on shaft 4 is inrotation. Should the compressed fuel in the engine or the rotors I 9 and 9 thereof exceed the steam pressure in the steam dome 49 the check valve 4| will open to equalize the steam and gaseous pressure, consequently permitting the pressure in the boiler to be increased during the slowingdown of the momentum of the ve- The starting hicle. The carbureter is equipped with a choke valve 64, an air regulating valve 65 and a throttle valve 66.

Having described the invention, 1 claim:

1. A rotary external combustion engine including a casing having a power takeofi shaft journaled therethrough and which casing is divided by partitions into end chambers, a lubricant sump between said end chambers, a boiler above said chambers, a steam dome above the boiler and receiving steam therefrom, a transfer chamber below the steam dome and having its ends communicating with the end chambers, spring influenced and oppositely opening valves between the steam dome and transfer chamber and one of said valves acting to admit excessive pressure to the dome from said transfer chamber, a compressor rotor on the shaft in one of the end chambers, a shaft in the second end chamber, each of said rotors having peripheral teeth and surrounding ring members provided with inner peripheral teeth in engagement with those of the rotors and eccentrically engaging with the rotor teeth, means for directing a fuel charge into the chamber for the compressor rotor to be compressed by said rotor, means for exploding the compressed fuel charge prior to its entrance into the transfer chamber and onto the power developing rotor, means for introducing steam from the dome into the transfer chamber by the opening of the other of said valves whereby the steam and burning gases are intermingled, means for directing the spent gases from the chamber for the power developing rotor, and lubricant conducting means extending from the lubricantsump for supplying lubricant therefrom onto the shaft and onto the rotors.

2. A rotary external combustion engine including a casing having a power takeoff shaft journaled therethrough and the casing beingdivided by partitions into end chambers, a lubricant sump between said end chambers, a boiler above said chambers, a steam dome above the boiler and receiving steam therefrom, and a transfer chamber below the steam dome and having its ends communicating with said end chambers, spring influenced and oppositely opening valves between the steam dome and transfer chamber and one of said valves acting to admit excessive pressure to the dome from said transfer chamber, a compressor rotor on the shaft in one of the end chambers, a power developing rotor on the shaft and located in the second end chamber, each of said rotors having peripheral teeth and surrounding ring members having inner peripheral teeth in engagement with those of the rotors and eccentrically engaging with the rotor teeth, means for directing a fuel charge into the chamber for the compressor rotor to be compressed by said rotor, means for exploding the compressed fuel prior to its entrance into the transfer chamber and onto the power developing rotor, means for introducing steam into the transfer chamber by the opening of the other of said valves, means for directing the spent gases from the chamber for the power developing rotor, lubricant conducting means for supplying lubricant from the lubricant sump onto the shaft and onto the rotors, said power shaft having a bore spaced from the ends thereof and provided with ports opposite the bearings therefor, ring bearings for the interiorly toothed rings power developing rotor on the for the rotors and having spiral grooves for feeding lubricant endwise of the rotors, a pipe be-, tween the lubricant sump and the central hearing for the shaft and providing a conduit for lubricant into the hollow portion of the shaft, and passages communicating with the lubricant sump for supplying lubricant into the spiral grooves of said ring bearings.

3. A rotary external combustion engine including a casing having a power takeoff shaft journaled therethrough and which casing being divided by partitions into end chambers, a lubricant sump between said end chambers, a boiler above said chambers, boiler and receiving steam therefrom, a transfer chamber below the steam dome and having its ends communicating with the end chambers, spring influenced and oppositely opening valves between the steam dome and the transfer chamber and one of said valves acting to admit excessive pressure to the dome from said transfer chamber, a compressor rotor on the shaft in one of the end chambers, a power developing rotor on the shaft in the second end chamber, each of saidrotors having peripheral teeth and surrounding ring members having inner peripheral teeth 'in engagement with those of the rotors and eccentrically engagingv with the rotor teeth, means for directing a fuel charge into the chamber for the compression rotor to be compressed by said rotor, means for exploding the compressed fuel prior to its entrance into the transfer chamber and onto the power developing rotor, means for introducing steam into the transfer chamber by the opening of the other of said valves, means for directing the spent gases from the chamber for the power developing rotor, lubricant conducting means for supplying lubricant from the lubricant sump onto the shaft and onto the rotors, means comprising a pump for introducing water in the boiler, a float in the boiler, and a valve carrying stem on the float for controlling the supply of water to the boiler.

4. A motor of the class described employing in its construction a rotary compressor unit and a power developing unit and a shaft connecting said units, a boiler in communication with said units and receiving its heat from the explosive charge from the compressor unit, a steam dome above and receiving steam from the boiler, a float valve controlled means for regulating the supply of water to the boiler, a transfer chamber below the boiler and the steam dome and having ports communicating with said units and passages, oppositely directed spring influenced valves between the steam dome and the ends of the transfer chamber, and one of said valves acting to admit excessive pressure to the dome from said transfer chamber, means directing an explosive fluid onto the compressor unit to be compressed thereby, an agent for exploding the fluid after the compression and immediately prior to its entrance into the transfer chamber, means for introducing steam into the transfer chamber by the opening of the other of said valves, said exploded fuel, in a burning condition, adapted to be mixed with steam entering the transfer chamber before passing therethrough onto the power developing unit, and means for exhausting the spent fuel after the same has expanded its force on the power developing unit.

RAY A. JONES. 

